Khamzat Chimaev has responded to his critics who aren’t sold on him.
Chimaev will challenge Dricus du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship on Saturday. It’s a highly anticipated title bout, and many have a hard time deciding a winner. Those in favor of DDP believe his cardio will be a deciding factor in outlasting Chimaev. Fans and experts who back “Borz” believe his grappling will earn him his first UFC title.
As for those who remain skeptical of Chimaev’s viability as an elite middleweight champion, he had some words for the naysayers during the UFC 319 countdown show (h/t Championship Rounds).
“People say Dricus has good cardio, and people watch me ‘Khamzat has bad this, he’s hype’. How many years I’ve been UFC? Still, people say ‘he’s hype’…
[Robert] fought Dricus how many minutes. Dricus been taken down from Robert. Robert didn’t get me even one punch.
Everyone I fought they say ‘I’m preparing for a war.’ Why should you prepare for a war, if you want to win you have to prepare for kill.”
Chimaev enters UFC 319 with a perfect pro MMA record of 14-0. He’s beaten the likes of Robert Whittaker, Kamaru Usman, and Gilbert Burns, but most agree this will be his toughest test to date. The 185-pound champion presents an awkward fighting style and elite-level cardio. Chimaev’s strength and conditioning coach recently told reporters that he’s confident in his fighter’s ability to keep a solid gas tank throughout the fight.
DDP has garnered an impressive resume, getting past the likes of Israel Adesanya and Whittaker. He also got the better of Sean Strickland twice, with their most recent encounter being widely in favor of “Stillknocks.”
At the moment, Chimaev is a betting favorite over du Plessis, which has caught the attention of UFC Hall of Famer, Michael Bisping. We’ll soon find out if the oddsmakers were correct.
